Diti Bhadra

Diti Bhadra is a Professor and semanticist at the University of Minnesota’s Institute of Linguistics, with affiliations in the Center for Cognitive Sciences. Her research focuses on formal semantics, typology, and fieldwork on endangered languages in South Asia, including Khasi, Ao, Adi, Lepcha, and others. Funded by NSF grants, her work bridges theoretical models with empirical diversity in linguistic systems. She runs the Fieldwork Integrates Theory & Typology (FITT) lab, mentoring students in semantic fieldwork. Her recent grants include an NSF CAREER award (2022-2027) for studying underrepresented linguistic systems and an OVPR grant for investigating clickbait linguistics with Educational Psychology.

Her education includes a Ph.D. in Linguistics from Rutgers University (2017) and prior roles as a Lecturer at Harvard University (2018-2019). Key research areas include modality, evidentiality, question structures, and the semantics of verb roots. She actively addresses misinformation through linguistic analysis, collaborating across disciplines.

Recent publications explore Cantonese particles, verb root semantics, and South Asian linguistic typology. She has organized major conferences like FASAL-11 (2021) and frequently presents at top venues such as UCLA, University of Chicago, and international workshops. Teaching spans semantics, syntax, field methods, and introductory linguistics courses designed under her NSF CAREER grant.